In the unseasonable heat of a spring morning in 80 B.C., Gordianus the Finder is summoned to the house of Cicero, a young advocate staking his reputation on a case involving the savage murder of the wealthy, sybaritic Sextus Roscius. Charged with the murder is Sextus's son, greed being the apparent motive. The punishment, rooted deep in Roman tradition, is horrific beyond imagining.

The case becomes a political nightmare when Gordianus's investigation takes him through the city's raucous, pungent streets and deep into rural Umbria. Now, one man's fate may threaten the very leaders of Rome itself.

Review summary: There's a surprising lack of suspense in this novel of suspense. Its only complicating factor is the vast number of characters; it's often hard to keep track of them. Overall, this is a strange book, not a bad book, but one that may have readers puzzled at the end as to what it was all about. (Click here for text of full review.)

Publisher synopsis: Shadow Cove, Washington, is the kind of town everyone dreams about — quaint streets, lush forests, good neighbors. That's what Sarah thinks as she settles into life with her new husband, Dr. Johnny McDonald. But all too soon she discovers an undercurrent of deception. And one October evening when Johnny is away, sudden tragedy destroys Sarah's happiness.

Dazed and stricken with grief, she and Johnny begin to rebuild their shattered lives. As she picks up the pieces of her broken home, Sarah discovers a shocking secret that forces her to doubt everything she thought was true — about her neighbors, her friends, and even her marriage. With each stunning revelation, Sarah must ask herself, Can we ever really know the ones we love?

Today, we're pleased to present the following title, now available at a special price courtesy of the publisher, Little, Brown&nbsp…

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

A Novel of Gothic Suspense

Publisher: Little, Brown

Price: $1.99 (as of 09/30/2015 at 7:00 PM ET).

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again …

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck.

It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives — presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

Omnimystery News is pleased to present a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers during September 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …

She's leery of overprotective men — he's sworn to protect and serve. When Katie Sheridan's best friend is blackmailed over an affair with a yoga instructor, Katie stuffs herself into workout togs to help identify suspects. Instead of getting fit, she learns yoga can be a killer when the instructor winds up dead. Worse, Katie is a suspect, and finds herself tangling with the sexy, commanding cop investigating the case.

Detective Dirk Johnson knows getting involved with a material witness — especially one as reckless as Katie — means trouble, but his heart and protective instincts aren't logical. More than once, she rescues herself just before he arrives to save the day. Dirk's not sure he can keep up with her, but he'll go down trying.

Blackmail, murder, and adultery teach Katie and Dirk that love obeys its own laws. With passion as the final reward, they find fighting temptation is highly overrated.

Scottish barrister Rex Graves will never understand why the devil his son Campbell chose to go to college in Florida rather than attending university in bonny Scotland. During Rex's visit across the pond, tragedy strikes when a student is found hanging from a rope in his locked dorm room. Did the poor lad commit suicide, or was it murder?

With one student dead and his own son in danger, Rex Graves vows to learn the truth. In between trying not to worry about Campbell and trying to please his new love, Helen d'Arcy (while keeping ex-girlfriend Moira at bay), Rex conducts his own investigation. What he finds is a maze of sordid secrets in the university's not-so-hallowed halls.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher, promoting and selling ebook editions of works by new authors as well as bringing out ebook editions of out of print books.

We've selected one of their recently published mystery, suspense, thriller or crime titles to feature here today …

Brass Eagle by Margaret Duffy

A Crime Novel

Publisher: Endeavour Press

Price: $3.99 (as of 09/30/2015 at 5:30 PM ET).

One by one, England's top scientists are destroying themselves. Jones shoots himself with his uncle's shotgun. Peterson inhales carbon monoxide. Cook slashes his wrists, and now Alex Haywood has driven over a cliff … Or has he?

These deaths are a gruesome business which requires the involvement of two of the security force's finest agents, Patrick and Ingrid, who are torn away from celebrating the christening of their first child to handle the situation. Closer scrutiny reveals that the violence involves not only the quartet of scientists who have just sung their swan songs, but also implicates a beautiful young perfume designer, a terrifying motorcycle gang, and a woman who'll get what she wants over as many dead bodies as it takes …

How far will Patrick and Ingrid go in the line of duty? And will they sacrifice the people closest to them as they delve deeper into the web of crime and reach the point of no return?

When spirited redhead Molly Murphy was growing up a peasant on the coast of Ireland she always imagined there was something more in store for her. She couldn't have known how right she was until the day she became a murderer, albeit in self-defense. Under drastic circumstances, Molly is forced to strike out into a new world. With the police right behind her, Molly's only chance at escape is a false identity and a steamship that will take her far, far away: to America.

When her ship sails into New York Harbor, with the majestic figure of the Statue of Liberty providing comfort and inspiration, Molly is sure her whole life is in front of her. But she's got one last hurdle to clear: Ellis Island. She is just one among thousands of immigrants on the tiny island, awaiting their fate with anxiety and hope. Unfortunately for Molly, before she is able to leave the island a man is brutally murdered, his throat cut from ear to ear, and coincidence and fate make her a suspect in a crime she didn't commit. Under a cloud of suspicion, and due largely to a growing mutual attraction between Molly and the handsome police captain in charge of the case, she is allowed to leave Ellis Island for Manhattan. Unfortunately, she's got a mission she couldn't have anticipated: clear her own name of murder. Alone in a new country with no one to lean on, Molly hits the vibrant streets of New York intent on finding out what really happened. After all, if she can't, she'll be sent back to Ireland, where the dreaded gallows await.

Omnimystery News is pleased to present a mystery, suspense, or thriller ebook that we recently found by sleuthing (as it were) through new or recently reissued titles from independent publishers during September 2015 and priced $4.99 or less …

This Christmas, event planner Jenn Christensen has come back to the winter wonderland of Mackinac Island, Michigan, to race for charity in the Santa Fun Run, rekindle her love for CSI tech Shane Carpenter, and indulge in her BFF Allie McMurphy's fabulous fudge. But there's one event she didn't plan — chasing down a killer. After finding a deceased Santa in a snowbank, she's shocked to discover the police suspect her of murder.

It's up to Jenn, Allie, and a helpful golden retriever named Marley to catch the killer and find out who's at the top of the naughty list.

Bryan Pierce is an internationally famous artist whose paintings have dazzled the world. But there's a secret to his success: Every canvas is inspired by an unusually vivid dream. When Bryan awakes, he possesses extraordinary new skills … like the ability to speak obscure languages and an inexplicable genius for chess. All his life, he has wondered if his dreams are recollections, if he is re-experiencing other people's lives.

Linz Jacobs is a brilliant neurogeneticist, absorbed in decoding the genes that help the brain make memories, until she is confronted with an exact rendering of a recurring nightmare at one of Bryan's shows. She tracks down the elusive artist, and their meeting triggers Bryan's most powerful dream yet: visions of a team of scientists who, on the verge of discovering a cure for Alzheimer's, died in a lab explosion decades ago.

As Bryan becomes obsessed with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the scientists' deaths, his dreams begin to reveal what happened at the lab, as well as a deeper mystery that may lead all the way to ancient Egypt. Together, Bryan and Linz start to discern a pattern. But a deadly enemy watches their every move, and he will stop at nothing to ensure that the past stays buried.

Isabel Leon, the star of a survival reality show, thinks she can endure anything. But when she unwittingly gives an unscrupulous mogul a chance to profit from her murder, she becomes the target of a terrifying killer who makes nature seem tame by comparison.

At first left for dead, she is rescued by a medical research team that operates outside the law. She awakens to find she's the living proof of a breakthrough that can change the world. Some people would pay any price to control it. Others would simply steal the secret — even if it costs Isabel's life. As powerful rivals pursue her, Isabel must risk everything to protect those she loves — or die again tomorrow.

Meg Harris discovers the skull and bones of a woman whose very existence takes the archeological world by storm. But when her neighbours, the Migiskan Algonquin, declare their rights to the ancient remains, Meg becomes embroiled in a fight that pits ancient beliefs against modern ones and leads eventually to murder.

It's bad enough when someone you know is brutally murdered, it's worse when the guy was a paranoid schizophrenic helplessly bound to a wheelchair. Sam Acquillo and Jackie Swaitkowski tried to look after Alfie Aldergreen, as had others around the Village of Southampton, but now they were forced to wonder, what else could they have done?

One thing is for certain, Alfie's killers are about to know what it means to murder a friend of Sam, former corporate troubleshooter, former professional boxer and all-around ornery bull dog, and Jackie, a defense lawyer often described as an avenging angel.

Life couldn't be sweeter for Tres Amigas Café chef Rita Lafitte, decorating sugar skulls and taste-testing rich, buttery pan de muerto in anticipation of Santa Fe's Day of the Dead bread-baking contest. That is, until her friendly landlord, Victor, is found dead next door.

Although the police deem Victor's death a suicide, Rita knows something is amiss. To uncover the truth, she teams up with her octogenarian boss, Flori, the town's most celebrated snoop. The duo begins to sift through long-buried secrets and to take full measure of duplicitous neighbors, but the clock is ticking and their list of suspects is growing ever longer. Just as the clues get hotter than a New Mexican chili, one of their main suspects winds up dead. Rita fears that the killer is dishing out seconds — and her order might be up.

From deep in the heart of his eighteenth century English manor, millionaire Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk writes mystery novels and torments his four spoiled children with threats of disinheritance. Tiring of this device, the portly patriarch decides to weave a malicious twist into his well-worn plot. Gathering them all together for a family dinner, he announces his latest blow — a secret elopement with the beautiful Violet … who was once suspected of murdering her husband.

Within hours, eldest son and appointed heir Ruthven is found cleaved to death by a medieval mace. Since Ruthven is generally hated, no one seems too surprised or upset — least of all his cold-blooded wife Lillian. When Detective Chief Inspector St. Just is brought in to investigate, he meets with a deadly calm that goes beyond the usual English reserve. And soon Sir Adrian himself is found slumped over his writing desk — an ornate knife thrust into his heart. Trapped amid leering gargoyles and stone walls, every member of the family is a likely suspect. Using a little Cornish brusqueness and brawn, can St. Just find the killer before the next-in-line to the family fortune ends up dead?

Single mom and rookie P.I. Nicki Valentine rarely gets time off, so attending a wedding with her superhot colleague Dean sounds dreamy. But things turn nightmarish when the groom — a soon-to-be transplant donor — disappears, and Nicki and Dean commit to a partnership they never planned.

Together, they examine the groom's unfulfilled promises, including one to his mom, a psychic medium with an unusual health need. As family secrets emerge, Nicki must face questions about her late husband, whose long-ago betrayal still threatens to cloud her judgment.

With support from her pole-dancing best friend, her always-on-call family, and the loves of her life (her two kids — and possibly Dean), Nicki must uncover the groom's demons while conquering her own.

— Sky High by Susan O'Brien

See also the first book in this series, Finding Sky, for 99¢ on Kindle.

We are delighted to welcome author Judy Penz Sheluk to Omnimystery News today.

Judy new first in series mystery is The Hanged Man's Noose (Barking Rain Press; July 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we recently had the opportunity to catch up with her to talk more about it.

— ♦ —

Omnimystery News: Tell us a little more about the principal characters of The Hanged Man's Noose.

Photo provided courtesy ofJudy Penz Sheluk

Judy Penz Sheluk: Emily Garland is a freelance writer in Toronto, Canada. Tire of reporting on the same old condo stats, newly single (her fiancée has dumped her for a personal trainer with legs up to her ears), and motherless (her mother has recently committed suicide), Emily is ready for a change. When she is offered a lucrative assignment in the small town of Lount's Landing to find out the true story behind a development plan, she goes for it.

Emily quickly learns that not everyone in town is happy about the proposed conversion of a school into a megabox store, least of all Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of The Glass Dolphin, an antiques shop on the town's historic Main Street.

I've been a freelance writer since 2003, specializing in antiques and the residential housing industry, and so I do identify with both Emily and Arabella. Of course, I'm still waiting for that lucrative assignment to come my way! As for Arabella, her motto is "authenticity matters." Khaled Housseini (The Kite Runner) is quoted as saying "And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too." That's Arabella, but it's also me. Because I think authenticity does matter, that what we say shouldn't just be rhetoric.

OMN: How do you expect these characters to develop over the course of the series?

JPS: Both Emily and Arabella change over the course of The Hanged Man's Noose, and there will be more changes in the sequel. I had a creative writing instructor once, Greg Fallis (he is also a talented author), who gave me some wonderful advice: "Remember, to your characters, this isn't a story." I try to keep that in mind when I'm writing.

OMN: Into which genre would you place this book?

JPS: I classify The Hanged Man's Noose as "amateur sleuth with an edge." What I mean by that is that the book has all the standard elements of a traditional cozy — small town setting, amateur sleuth, no overt sex or violence but there are no cats, crafts or cookie recipes. I even set up a Goodreads Listopia for that category.

OMN: How would you a tweet a summary of it?

JPS: The Hanged Man's Noose: small-town secrets and subterfuge lead to murder in a tale of high-stakes real estate wrangling gone amok.

OMN: Describe your writing process for us.

JPS: I am a complete and utter pantser. I have tried to work with an outline, even took a course on how-to do it through Savvy Authors, but it just doesn't work for me. I do start with a premise (what if such-and-such happened) and I usually have the end written (or at least know what the ending will be) pretty soon after the first few pages, but the rest of it is pure pantsing.

To me, the panster is the equivalent of someone who gets in the car and drives, looking for signs along the way to get to their ultimate destination. It can be a lot of fun, because you're open to discovering all sorts of unexpected people and places along the way. But you can also get stuck in a town you don't want to visit (sometimes called Writer's Block) or get completely off track with nothing much to show for the experience.

The plotter, on the other hand, is armed with a GPS (and probably a paper road map as a backup). Maybe a little less adventurous than the pantser, but far more likely to reach their destination without incident — though I expect that even the most diligent plotters make the occasional U-turn as their story unfolds.

OMN: What are some of your outside interests? And have any of these found their way into your series?

JPS: I'm a runner (though perhaps plodder is a more apt description). I try to run 3-5 times a week, and the distance varies by what I may or may not be training for. I've done 4 marathons, several half marathons, but I'm slow. I'm definitely in the "To Complete" category vs. on the podium. If I'm not training for something, I'll run 3 to 5 miles three or four times a week. Emily Garland is a runner, though that fact isn't important in The Hanged Man's Noose.

I'm a golfer. I prefer 9 holes to 18 and belong to two 9-hole ladies leagues. I'm not particularly good, but I am passionate. Unfortunately, I live about 90 minutes northwest of Toronto, Canada, so our season tends to be May to mid October. The sequel to The Hanged Man's Noose will feature golf in a very prominent way.

I love to walk along trails. There's a great nature trail near my house that winds around three golf courses. If I'm not running that day, I'll walk the trail.

I'm also a voracious reader. I read every day.

OMN: What's the best advice — and harshest criticism — you've received as an author? And what might you say to aspiring writers?

JPS: Agatha Christie is quoted as saying, "Write even when you don't want to, don't much like what you're writing, and aren't writing particularly well." It's great advice.

I remember being really proud of a short story I had written and reading it to three friends in a critique group setting. When I finished, they all said, "Hmmm … there's no real story here and the ending isn't plausible." I was crushed, but later on, rereading it, I realized they were right. I've revised that story a dozen times, but it's still lacking. One day, I'll get it right.

Advice to aspiring writers: this is actually something I read somewhere a long time ago. Make time to write every day: The writing muscle is like any other muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it becomes.

OMN: How did The Hanged Man's Noose come to be titled?

JPS: The Hanged Man's Noose is the name of a pub in Lount's Landing, a town named after a colorful Canadian traitor who was hanged for treason in Toronto in the 19th century. The town and the pub are fictional, but Samuel Lount was a real life politician who happened to be representing the wrong party!

OMN: Was it also your working title while you wrote the book?

JPS: Yes, The Hanged Man's Noose was the working title. I usually come up with a title before I start working on something. That way it seems real.

OMN: The cover of your book is quite striking. How involved were you with its design?

JPS: I grew up on Nancy Drew, and in my teens, I graduated to Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh. I knew I wanted to write a book "some day" and it would probably be a mystery.

OMN: You mentioned you're an avid reader today.

JPS: I try to read one book a week, and one book of short stories (typically crime fiction anthologies, but not always) a month. My go-to genre is mystery/suspense, but I also read other novels. Two of my favorite [non-mystery] novels are Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, and The Way the Crow Flies by Ann Marie MacDonald. Both are very dark reads, but the storytelling is exceptional. I'm also a big fan of Amy Tan.I love mystery series! My favorite characters include Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, Louise Penny's Armand Gamache, John Sandford's Lucas Davenport, Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, and James M. Jackson's Seamus McCree. What I love about each of these characters is the way the authors have built their arc, allowed them to grow.

OMN: What's next for you?

JPS: I've just finished Skeletons in the Attic, which is another amateur sleuth mystery, although all of the characters in it (with the exception of Arabella Carpenter) are new. Arabella has a small role in the book. I love it when authors do that: Tana French is a great example of someone who does this very, very well.

I'm currently working on the sequel to The Hanged Man's Noose. In this novel, Arabella will be the protagonist and Emily will be along for the ride. At least, that's what I think now. As a pantser, anything is possible!

— ♦ —

In her less mysterious pursuits, Judy Penz Sheluk works as a freelance writer/editor. She is currently Editor of Home BUILDER Magazine and Senior Editor, New England Antiques Journal. Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Canada, and International Thriller Writers.

Journalist Emily Garland lands a plum assignment as the editor of a niche magazine based in Lount's Landing, a small town named after a colorful 19th century Canadian traitor. As she interviews the local business owners for the magazine, Emily quickly learns that many people are unhappy with real estate mogul Garrett Stonehaven's plans to convert an old schoolhouse into a mega-box store. At the top of that list is Arabella Carpenter, the outspoken owner of an antiques shop, who will do just about anything to preserve the integrity of the town's historic Main Street.

But Arabella is not alone in her opposition. Before long, a vocal dissenter at a town hall meeting about the proposed project dies. A few days later, another body is discovered, and although both deaths are ruled accidental, Emily's journalistic suspicions are aroused.

Putting her reporting skills to the ultimate test, Emily teams up with Arabella to discover the truth behind Stonehaven's latest scheme before the murderer strikes again.

Nine-year-old Cynthia Robinson's life was perfectly normal until the day she knew, without being told, of her parents' impending divorce. From there, things got stranger, and now not only does she have premonitions, but she can also read and influence the minds of those around her.

Cynthia is not the only one with the ability to "weave" — all over the country, people with similar abilities struggle to balance their lives with their powers. Some with this gift are weavers with dark motives and grisly appetites who want to use people like Cynthia for their own purposes.

Meanwhile, a top-secret government organization, the Telekinetic Research Center, has been looking for telekinetics to use for its own clandestine agenda. When TRC agents learn of Cynthia and her dangerous pursuers, will they come to her rescue? Or will they capture her and take her power for themselves?

Brynna and Erica were friends, best friends. They did everything together, until the night they jumped off the pier at Harding Beach … and only Brynna made it back.

A year later, Brynna is still picking up the pieces. She's in a new school with new friends, but she can't shake the demons of her past.

Then a Twitter post from "EricaNShaw" pops up in Brynna's feed and a chilling voice mail is left on her phone. Someone isn't ready to let go of what happened. Brynna barely survived losing Erica. She doubts she'll survive Erica's return.

They say sugar is bad for your teeth, but can it actually kill you? The Brea Ridge police seem to think so when they find cake decorator Daphne Martin wielding an oversized plastic toothbrush over a dentist's dead body. Daphne moved back to her small Virginia hometown just months ago to open her Daphne's Delectable Cakes business and already she's been mixed up in murder. Now she's got to prove her sweet innocence again.

After hours of police questioning, Daphne returns home to find Elvis Presley in her driveway. She's certain she's hallucinating until the leather-clad hunk orders up a pink Cadillac cake for a convention of the Elvis impersonators. Daphne accepts, but her reporter-boyfriend Ben is suspicious of Elvis's intentions. Does the King want to make Daphne his confectionery queen? Or is the convention a ruse for a more sinister operation? Daphne's own investigation into Dr. Bainsworth's murder, meanwhile, reveals the dentist made as many enemies as he did fillings. Just about anyone could have done him in, but it's up to Daphne to find the killer — and finish Elvis's cake — before she's the one singing "Jailhouse Rock."

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

Omnimystery News is pleased to feature a selection of Free MystereBooks found on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 7:00 AM ET …

A Wedding to Die For by Heather Haven

The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries

Publisher: The Wives of Bath Press

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Hunted Under Vegas by Michael W. Layne

A Trent Walker Supernatural Thriller

Publisher: Michael W. Layne

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Stolen Skye by Nina Loard

The Skye Trilogy

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Murder In Missoula by Laurence Giliotti

A Novel of Suspense

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Fires of Alexandria by Thomas K. Carpenter

The Alexandrian Saga

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Nobody Cared for Kate by Gene Thompson

A Novel of Suspense

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Murder in the Choir by Joel B. Reed

A Jazz Phillips Mystery

Publisher: White Turtle Books

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Live from Moscow by Eric Almeida

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Eric Almeida

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For a summary of all of today's titles, plus any that may have been added since this post was created, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

Important Note: Price(s) verified as of the date and time shown. Price(s) are subject to change at any time. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of the purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before purchasing it.

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About Omnimystery News

Lance Wright owns and manages Omnimystery, a Family of Mystery Websites, which had its origin as Hidden Staircase Mystery Books in 1986. As the scope of the business expanded, first into book reviews — Mysterious Reviews — and later into information for and reviews of mystery and suspense television and film, all sites were consolidated under the Omnimystery brand in 2006.